


Bowstrings

by wasabiandi



Series: Legend of Zelda [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: (??? Do I finally earn that damn tag?), Cloacal Rito, Furry, Implied Past RevaLink, Interspecies, M/M, Mentions of parental Teba btw, Small plot... only small... can't smut outta no where apparently, Starts v primitive and flows into fluff I promise, Top Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-25 19:44:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19752550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wasabiandi/pseuds/wasabiandi
Summary: Their bodies weren’t made for each other, but they’d make it work. They’d pretend it was meant to be if it meant more of the heat growing between them. They’d pretend this was more than a one-off exploration, and hold each other tenderly. Because it was increasingly obvious Link’s mind was getting lost, and Harth had been touch starved for far too long...Just some blind pining Harth/Link smut 🤤





	Bowstrings

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Sage](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17919686) by [wasabiandi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wasabiandi/pseuds/wasabiandi). 



If anyone found them like this, Teba would absolutely kill them, without any form of hesitation. 

Maybe not them, he wouldn’t hurt Link no matter how guilty he was as well. Not dear, innocent Link - not the young boy known for breaking hearts, and for being an evil force with just a glance into his eyes. Not the literal incarnation of Goddess Hylia’s favoured knight, who looked every bit the part of a godly hero. No, Teba would see the boy who he swore his life too, who he adored as his own child. He wouldn’t hurt Link, but he would entirely maul Harth. 

26 years of friendship meant nothing when you held a man’s son to your chest like this, knowing that the next morning would be spent pretending it never happened. Years of physical and emotional support would go out the window if Teba even heard a mention of this - and that alone did scare Harth, especially with his friends wildly unpredictable nature.

But when Link pressed a gentle Hylian kiss to his beak, softly keening and gripping at the feathers on his back, he really couldn’t be arsed with the consequences anymore. 

The shared development hadn’t come out of the blue either, despite how spontaneously it had dawned on them. Harth had spent the last week with Link, watching as the young boy stumbled about with his newly dawned reality, guiding and coaxing him, and housing him at each evening’s close. Within four tiresome nights he had seen him cry, punch, laugh, and exhaust himself all from the intense emotions slowly unfreezing in his mind. Link had been a constant presence in Harth’s evenings, and as they shared the communal cooking pot together each night, he got to watch as Link held Molli to his chest, smiling as she proudly retold his father's stories, to a boy who drank in every word. 

Every night saw this scene replay, and every night Harth fell a little more in love. 

A warrior like Link was already a sight - not only rare to Rito Village, but to the warriors themselves. His muscles spoke of hardships, and his scars whispered the stories that would never leave Link’s lips. But a warrior with the kindest face, the softest hands, and adored his daughter - showing her long amiss maternal affections? Harth had swooned. 

It was true that Link wasn’t the first man to have Molli in their care like this. She was frequently a mouth to feed at Teba’s, but the memories the two hard faced warriors once shared eons ago every now and again ached at Harth’s chest, and he found that Teba just wasn’t the extra force that Molli needed. Teba failed drastically where Saki succeeded, but Harth didn’t find interest in her, lest he feel Teba’s wrath tenfold. He just didn’t find attraction in her femininity.

But Link was the balance that he needed - built like a rock, but accentuated femininely. He was a curiosity in itself, a jewel even to other Hylians, lest be to a Rito. He was an attraction Harth hadn’t found himself fascinated with before. 

It hadn’t even dawned on Harth how smitten he was until Link had walked Molli to Teba’s the current night, holding her to his hip like her mother would have, stroking back her feathery hair with a soft coo and loving smile. Harth had been shot right through the heart, and he hadn’t seen it coming. 

He hadn’t realised just how flustered that attraction made him feel until the moment Link had pressed against him on his return, how when he thanked him for his help, all Harth could think about was how delicious the little Hylian would taste. Harth could only imagine how beautiful Link would look, flushed and exhausted against his feathers. Black really made gold stand out.

It had been no help when what had started off as comfort from Link’s woeful reminiscing and fitful nightmares had turned to overbearing curiosity for the culture he had once been apart of. Why do Rito wear this, if their practicality is questionable? Why do they eat that, especially if they’re... birds? How do they do this? And with a cheeky little sigh Link turned to ask, curiosity feigned in those vibrant eyes, how do Rito mate? Harth had commented he’d show him, thinking he’d thrown the fishing line.

Link grinned, looked over his shoulder to assure the roost had been secured for the night, and reeled the line in.

It wasn’t hard to be swayed by Link, and Harth was almost certain that he was only one of many victims of this boy. Link was gorgeous - and he surely knew that himself. With how his hair was loosely held back by a leather tie, strands escaping in a way that framed his face, or how his arms were beautifully toned and sun-kissed from his adventures in the wilderness. Even with the royal Princess around now, he managed to still find time to explore, escaping long enough for trysts such as these. 

His blue eyes were lidded by long eyelashes, and his lips panted with small, puffed clouds of air, his rhythm broken every time he shivered. Link wouldn’t be cold for too long, Harth had wordlessly promised. A promise sealed with an affectionate beak nuzzled against the others neck, as his feathered-tips roamed the available expansion of flesh.

It would be a lie if Harth has said this wasn’t the first time he’d been with a Hylian, but he knew Link had some experience with Ritos before. Whether that went as far as this, Harth had no clue, but he had hoped Link would finesse his way through it with muscle memory - he didn’t want to fumble and disappoint Link after all. He wanted to please him, and feel the brunt of his emotional release. He wanted to give just as much as, if not more than, he wanted to take. 

“So…” Link had whispered as he brushed strands of hair behind his ear shyly, a small chuckle breathed against Harth’s feathers to finish his unspoken question. He was precious in ways a Rito could never be. In a way no other Hylian could match. 

Link pressed against him, strong thighs wrapped around Harth’s thin waist in the most erotic display of his strength, and his lithe figure contoured against Harth as if liquid. The horrendous Sheikah made briefs he wore only barely concealed the solid heat beneath the fabric, and did nothing to hide the warmth when Link pressed his hips to Harth’s abdomen. The pulsating heat, the solid feeling, and the way it was pressed against him- his abdomen churned, and pleasure dripped down his spine. He was addicted to the sensation.

If Link had moved down, he would be able to feel just how soaked Harth was. How he shivered in anticipation just underneath him, how his hips arched to feel him rub against him, talons gripped tightly to the wooden floorboards to secure them, whilst wings cradled the smaller body against his plumage. Only a tease - it was all Harth could offer, but it was enough to elicit a delicate whine from Link, their fumbling a plight the Hylian certainly didn’t seem to mind. 

Amongst all he could offer the boy, he was amiss on many things still; Was he meant to prepare something for Link? Did Hylians have rituals prior activities like this? He didn’t even know - but Link moved with barely concealed excitement, and he decided that the boy probably forgot all of them anyways. 

Link pressed the bridge of his nose against Harth’s beak, a shadow of a Rito kiss, and Harth wanted to know if the foolish child even knew how much he made his chest strain, or how hard his heart rattled his ribs. The way his feathers had begun to almost size-up, or how he shivered as if a fawn lost in the Hebra Mountains; The nuzzle was unneeded, but had proved to distract Harth enough. Link always was a skilful manipulator.

Harth hadn’t even realised Link’s hands had moved down, pressed against the straining muscles, underneath himself to the quivering slit just beneath him. He hadn’t even registered that Link’s deft fingers happened to know exactly where to go - he didn’t even realise until his hips jolted in absolute pleasure when a small finger pressed into him.

Link, the shifty liar, knew damn well what he was doing. And it was wonderful.

“I’m not needed tomorrow… and Molli won’t be back by noon, if you wanted to…” Link began to croon, unable to hide behind his innocent facade anymore. And what did he want?

To make a mess? For Harth to do his absolute worse? To cover him blue? To hell with the threat of Teba looming over them, or the dignity Link held in the presence of the Princess. Tonight was for them, and their separate desperation, and anything taken away would be worn as a battle wound. 

Link’s finger was warm within Harth, gently thrusted, before being pulled out to spread the slick around his slit in an odd display of care. It was obvious Link knew something Harth didn’t, and he was happy to go with that. The fire that stirred below him was enough to smother any protest, even when a second finger was added to the tight heat. 

The sensation was new to Harth, but it felt so good. There was something unique about feeling something solid inside of him, about how his body reacted to it by trying to hungrily take more, to take them further. He hadn’t even realised he’d been panting until Link had leant forward, and flicked his tongue along his. Harth hadn’t registered he’d responded until Link moaned, sucking on the tip of his tongue. 

Their bodies weren’t made for each other, but they’d make it work. They’d pretend it was meant to be if it meant more of the wet heat growing between them. They’d pretend this was more than a one-off exploration, and hold each other tenderly. Because it was increasingly obvious Link’s mind was getting lost, and Harth had been touch starved for far too long. 

Link withdrew his hand with a gentle little kiss to the side of Harth’s beak, his hips pressed against the other with an erotic keening just quiet enough to remain inside Harth’s small hut. His solid, throbbing warmth was pressed against slick, wet heat, and Harth was beginning to feel excitement coarse through him. It was all new and experimental, but it did elicit a nervous shiver that stalked its way up Harth’s back, disguised only by the blissful chuckle that escaped him. Link had kneaded him into place like the expert he was, like Harth knew he would, and they were falling in sync. Their bodies defied each other, but their determination would win out. 

When Link pulled back a bit, Harth could see it. He could see it in his furrowed brow, in his nibbled lip, and the way his flushed ears flickered in embarrassment. He could see frustration, he could see concentration - a strategic glint in his eye just obvious enough to bring a bubbled laugh out of Harth, who found himself adoring each quirk more in the subtle glow of the moon outside. Damned his fear of fumbling, he wanted to give Link what he could, and he’d start by easing those ugly briefs off his body.

Link startled at first, before he helped ease one leg out of the hole, content on letting the fabric dangle helplessly around his ankle. He was lucky to have found himself a mess like this in Harth’s roost, and it showed on his face when that fact dawned on him. 

The feathered tips that enclosed around the Hylian’s cock were anything but clumsy - the hands of a talented craftsman were the same ones that caressed him. The same wing tips that polished wood all day stroked him like he was priceless, like he was something of importance to him. Like he was an artifact, and the way Link’s body responded left little to dispute. 

The sensations Harth imagined Link was feeling would have to have been different from the boys previous experiences - the hiccuped moans echoed a declaration of that fact. The surprise in his brow concluded it, and the way he bucked his hips back into Harth’s hand simply proved it. The feeling of Link’s throbbing cock in his hand wasn’t something he had experienced either, but he loved how well it fit, and how actively Link responded. 

“Harth-” Link whined, breathless, and Harth could see the muscles straining in his taut body. When the boy tilted his neck, he pressed his beak to it, before he nipped along the flesh in the most intimate way he knew how. Hylians had a similar sign of affection that left small bruises, Harth knew this as he had seen Link sporting them before, and whilst he couldn’t grant Link that, he could at least give him this - little affectionate crescents, soothed with his tongue, and red against his warm skin. He looked stunning when he was roughed up, and the way Link’s hand tugged in his hair made it obvious that he certainly didn’t mind. “Harth- You ready?”

Harth looked up, met his eye, and grinned. “What a stupid question.” 

In honesty, Harth had spent so long without touch, that when Link uncurled from around him panic had settled in his chest first. He could see Link, could see the boy didn’t mean to run, could see that his intentions were all about Harth - and the grin that met him when he rose to his full height had him flustered. Link had laughed, seeing the feathers fluff up in the way they had, and leant up on his toes to press a kiss to his beak. 

If Harth hadn’t known this would never be more, he would have felt the affection that was unintentionally meant. If Harth couldn’t see the haziness in Link’s eyes, he would have felt as if these administrations were purely for him. He might have believed this to be more, if he didn’t know it was just primitive instinct - an attraction and desperation to take. 

Link further cemented the doubt in the usually aloof Rito’s mind, when he eased Harth to turn around, and bent him over the wooden railing of the hut. He knew he should have expected that the intimacy of facing each other would be too much, and he should hate being treated as less of a man this way, but he couldn’t find it in himself to protest. Because even though the Tabantha wind was whistling against his feathers, introducing a chill he hadn’t felt yet, and even though the enclosed space they were in was now wide open - the hands that had pried him open earlier were anything but still. 

They paced, and they rubbed. They ran down his spine, gripped at his feathers, before they ran back to his hips. Link was admiring him, and that made Harth shudder - it felt so weird to him being placed under this kind of care. To feel loved physically. It made his abdomen churn, and his heart beat louder. His voice was audible amongst his huffed breaths, his legs spread welcomingly, head tilted just enough to watch Link. He watched as the Hylian admired him, before he lined up, and pressed forward. 

Harth’s moan should have alerted any Rito that could have been awake at this hour - Gesane could be barrelling up the steps now, but Harth couldn’t find it in himself to care. The new sensation he felt was wonderful, and when he tensed, Link responded with a broken little moan of his own. There was nothing comparable to the bliss he felt, and when Link moved - his hips jerked, his walls shuddered, and Harth could barely see anything anymore. He couldn’t feel anything but the biting wind, and the raw feeling inside him. 

He couldn’t hear Link’s questions, nor his prying comments. He couldn’t feel Link’s hands stroking and holding his hair, tugging only slightly when Harth responded by pressing back against a thrust. He felt young again, being reduced to the mess that he was now, and everything around him had begun to feel distant.

The way Link had encased his hip, and the way he carefully stroked Harth’s hair, had him distracted. The bliss was fantastic, but Harth was certain Link didn’t see him anymore - black wasn’t the same as soft navy, but the thick veil of the dark might’ve just been enough to cause the illusion. The blue sheen his feathers naturally had really did glow in the moonlight, and maybe Link was distracted by that. Much like how Harth found beauty in his balance, maybe Link found beauty in his resemblance.

Harth didn’t know if he shared any features with the deceased Champion, and Link didn’t share any features of his late wife, with obvious reasons as to why - so he didn’t find himself as lost as the boy was. At least he seemed lost, as his gestures proved to be anything else. 

He thrust with impassioned movements, managing to strain out the most thrilled pants from Harth, little moans buried deep within his throat that were only audible against the thrumming in his ears. The slick sheen of sweat on Link’s body made everything he did seem more fluid, more beautiful, and when Harth met blue eyes, nothing could interrupt. Everything was wet, it was hot, and it was theirs to share. 

Link drove Harth wild, and Harth was a fool to deny it. The way Link took the brunt of his cold words, and just smiled, boundlessly energetic and curious - it was adorable, if not the one thing Harth needed. He needed affection, and he needed companionship. 

He wouldn’t get companionship out of this, he knew that, but when Link buried deep within him, Harth knew this wouldn’t be the end of their trysts. No one could successfully rearrange his guts in such a manner, and escape him - he could humour that thought, but the real reason he knew Link would find himself a mess in his roost once again was simple. 

No one stroked their partners back the way Link did. Not even amidst a facade did anyone admire their partner in such a delicate way. Link treated Harth like he was just another Rito who deserved love - not just the craftsman, or the middle-man for Teba, but a man who needed affection, and it felt wonderful. Link needed familiarity, and Harth needed affection. They fed each other that. 

A pulsating heat grew inside of Harth, and he reached out to grasp the others wrist, needing to touch him and feel him there. He needed to ground himself so he didn’t float away, the pleasure growing inside him all so familiar yet so different at the same time. He knew he would never get this again - he would never feel this full, nor would he ever be embraced by such a beautiful Hylian again, so he wanted to make the most of it. He was so close to the edge, and he wanted Link to see him at his most vulnerable. 

He met Link’s eyes, and he could see why Kass’ songs always spoke of the beautiful Champion as if the world ended with him. Harth knew now who Link was, and he knew that every word Kass breathed was true, but he never imagined he would understand what led to this boy becoming the Goddess’ own, prized muse. 

Link looked at Harth with clarity, with eyes that bore the same heroic love and care he wore on his sleeve. The moon shone through his hair, and his grin was wide and warm - everything about him was elegant, and Harth knew he wouldn’t last. His abdomen twisted, and his heart strained painfully. 

With a sudden, deep thrust, Harth let himself go. He lost control of his body. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he moaned unashamed, feeling the waves of pressure take over, and the release wash through him. Everything was wet, and hot, again - but Link didn’t slow down. No, Link wasn’t taking for himself, despite Harth’s earlier premonition, Link was focused on Harth. 

Not on the facade, not on the lost memories, but on Harth. 

He whispered Harth’s name, loosely, slowly, as if nothing mattered but the fact that Harth heard him. The whistling winds were quiet, and every touch was electricity to the Rito’s sensitive body. He felt tight, full, and eager. He didn’t think there was any room left, until he felt red-hot liquid released inside him, and he realised this is exactly where he wanted to be. 

Link’s seemingly endless stamina finally ran out, as he collapsed in a panting mess against his feathers, only to cuddle up against them in such a childish way that it made Harth laugh. He could only pet blindly at Link’s back, soothing his muscles, as their shared essence made a mess of their thighs, and regretfully his floorboards. 

Harth suddenly shivered, the bliss finally seeping from his body, as the cold began to prick at him again, “Don’t fall asleep there. Come on, now.” He didn’t expect a response, he knew that would be asking too much, but Link’s pleased sigh was audible enough that Harth knew he was heard. 

His body was oversensitive - not used to the strain, nor the uncomfortable release of pressure within him when Link pulled out, and stepped away. Nothing could have prepared him for the feeling of cum dripping down his legs, nor of the awareness of what had just happened.

When Teba found out, Harth would be killed. He hadn’t been careful - Link sported marks all the way up his neck, and the foolish child wore them proudly. They hadn’t been quiet, and whilst Harth was certain Laissa wouldn’t say a word if she heard anything, there was no way he could be sure. There was no way they could sneak out for a proper clean at this hour anyways, and Teba was sure to bring Molli over earlier- 

Link kissed his beak again. And again. 

WIth gentle hands, Link helped him stand, laughed, and wrapped his arms around Harth’s waist firmly, burying his face against the fluffed feathers of his chest. Both winged arms secured themselves back around Link, and they found themselves like that for a moment - for a moment that lasted forever, and yet finished far too early.

Feathered tips ran themselves through Link’s disarrayed hair, and everything felt so domestic. It felt in place, despite how cold the morning would be when they parted ways again. He wasn’t even aware of the way his fingers wove Link’s hair into a single braid, and how they caressed his scalp with each gentle tug. He didn’t see the way Link looked up to his face with such contentment, a little smile on his face - one that hadn’t been seen in Rito Village in a hundred years.

“What is with you Rito and grooming?” Link whispered, his innocent veneer returning to those doe-like, bright blue eyes. 

“Respect.” Harth answered, like he had answered every question before. He kept his tone cool and collected, but he couldn’t hide the smile he wore. “That and you’re an absolute mess, it’s the least I can do to help.” 

When he tied the leather tie back around the blonde hair, Harth couldn’t get out of his mind just how beautiful Link would look with one of his own feathers woven in the strands. Just against his cheek, always with him, always there. 

Gold really did make black stand out.

**Author's Note:**

> WHEW OKAY  
> With how much smut I've written lately you'd think I'd finally have it down, but that's okay, because we really need more Harth x Link in the world, and I guess I'll jump in head-first
> 
> I didn't mean for my first Harth/Link to be.... well... smut... But hey!!! Here we go!!! 
> 
> I have also implied a few things, so in this fic;  
> Harth is a widow, which is a headcanon I adore to hell and back, and Link used to be with Revali and quite integrated with Rito culture, hence his displacement and reliability on Harth - ya know, the widows of the town.  
> Harth gave up on a lot of his "boyhood dreams", from being a warrior, to having romantic interests- settling down in craftsmanship and taking care of his daughter, which is where his paternal affections come from. 
> 
> Also parental Teba, anyone? Love that shit.


End file.
